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Abstract
Objective: To investigate the effect of preeclampsia on early morbidity of low birth weight infants.
Methods: We evaluated the neonatal morbidity and mortality in a group of 117 infants born to mothers with preeclampsia as compared to that of 234 control infants, matched for gestational age, born to normotensive patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the outcomes.
Results: Infants in the preeclamptic group had lower birth weight (mean difference = -253 g; 95% confidence interval, -157 to -349 g. P <. 0001) and were more frequently affected by severe growth retardation. At univariate level, infants born to preeclamptic mothers had higher rates of acidosis, hypoglycemia, grade II-III intraventricular hemorrhage, and periventricular leucomalacia. Analysis by conditional logistic regression equations demonstrated that the increased neonatal morbidity in the preeclamptic group was mainly due to perinatal complications associated with hypertension (low birth weight, severe IUGR, less use of corticosteroids, perinatal distress).
Conclusions: In preeclamptic pregnancies, associated obstetric complications could influence neonatal prognosis more than the high blood pressure per se.